New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-23
THE WONDERS OF ALASKA
ALErrER FROM ELLIOTT F. SHEPARD.

which vou do not aready know, they may be entitled
to an immortal place In your waste-oaskee we
reached our greatest nothng at coo in Dyaa Bay on
the commodous steamer Olympian, having for master
the FOLLY and attentive Captain Carroll, who has re-
fused half million dollars for his undeveloped gold
mine on Douglas island which Is one OF the eleven
thousand Islands got when, on October 19, 1867.
we paid Russia 81, 100000 for Alaska with Its
100000 square miles Of this earths surface These
figures help appreciate that Alaska means largo.
GRAND important We reached our greatest westng
at 1862 10 west longitude in Glacier Bay and should
then have had stretch eyes thousands OF miles
to sight western boundary
How shall any one describe the glortes of tho
Inland Passage, with snow-capped mountains on the
MAN, and islands the opposite side, rising often 10
the snow line staying the mighty Pacific from rocking
ones steamer; twelye-day trip and the total course
of $500 miles from and return to Tacoma, Washing
ION Territoryg Many scene is like the HUDSON at
Abe Highlands and many another like the Egean sea
shirtng the coast of Asia Minor; ana stil others nho
Switzerlands most beautiful mountain-bound lakes:
while the general combination, making SUCCESSION
of beauties and sublmities, is purely Alaskan 1noso
who conentedly tuck themselves In their niue DEUS
along the Atlantic have no IDEA OF the republican
macnAcence of our beloved country as she stretches
across the continent and reaches her fingers to Asia
S,enturics ago the Asatios paid her the compliment
to drift over here with the kur1ssiwo' Or JAPANESE
current and bring their love OF carving and OF mousse
dwelling ana weaving, with superiority 70 hoid thch'
afDff
10 so tease the Russian to make him willing TO re-
,,rou,sb ms sovereignty to the United States for
ouoeur This love Of carving, innate In the Aaskans.
led one OF our felowpassengers, MIR. e. H. Appo'' "
Milwaukee, to found tutorship Vi inc uh' Nv ~
Mission School In Sitka, under the supervision Vi '
Rev Dr. sheldon Jackson, the enlightened ana cher-
cetio friend Of their ten tIibos Of 1hinghet' o"e4
n, the Messengers provided for large rowpoae ior
Gfteen stars and Stripes for senng ten of inc IVY
to Moody's Mount Hermon School he Nor
Mass and purse for the general ala Oh r'ns ''i.A
Then president d. c. Gilman became one VI the ioune
ers of the Alaskan Society for the coiecuoh "nu pr
eryation Of the history. productions and -
mo Grand land Johns Hopkins University In BAIL
ore NAV now shake hands with It's young proeesc I'D
Sitka .,.,o o,o
So many are the winnings in the archipeiago an"
mainland that In Alaska alone our country mas n'eop
thousand miles of seacoast largo pei'on.'s' ~
the coastlne Ia precpitate from the waters cuse' 'o
,s clothed with prmeyal forests OF spruce, mr. phe'
white odorous cedar, and adorned with arou'uiun VI
pther gaudy hardy flowers. OF tho inohna"s"o,' i
seal salmon and cod fisheries need not spoaA' io'
they have a worldwide fame 1t Is graHShg W SEC
I'm Stka the capital. Baranof lsiano' nan "N
schooner-scaiers, lawful prize to Ia" ma'eS'' Va o
,aws II our Dominion ueighbors catch us OH NoVa
scoua we catch more of the Prybyfof ISLANDS, our
seals arc worth more than their fish Thaos ene io'
fbey como for them. But their EFFORTS echoraY ~
suit tn their killing the seals for u. soa"t'c' '"'
at 500; silver gray fox at SIo' rcu ioA P''''
Be so; small bearskins at ST. -
The rare of the passengers to visit the ranches VI
street of Indan cabins In each village wnere "o i'
and 70 purchase tho widest carving vi p'0'"i' 49,
tho most squalid surroundings, wouio pIog"oS"
the grief of other travellers who should oo'no heio
only after the AIasIans had entirely aohuon'"
.c.,bensm which degradcs them, and been cxaiteo
into American citizenship, for which so many OF ue
are earnestly hoping Totem-poles, Chhc@' p'"'h''s "
Rocky Mountain sleeps wool, DlacA-siato Col
horn and bono spoons painted dancing hats anc mash
broi0ered moccasins Esqulmau seal-hide sho"-ooo''
mines warclubs canoes paddles, WOOD ti'echs' "u'o'
,icht reed baskets sharks teeth earrings and neck
laces gold and silver carved bracelets hngef-rihss'
arnlets anlIIets labrets or hp-ps wi'ne ma'''"ss'
Gambling tools and the like, were absofoco oy INC
Messengers as readily sunlight harinessy drhhs to
miasma OF swamps- -
rbrce United states Senators this btp, ana
n "a to bcboped that legislation which they may
confer on Alaska, the result OF tben oAPei''
NAV he even more valuable las IL may roa''S w
made, than the wonderful Trodweli mine on Dousi"'
Island. That mine IS not one In the true s'''o %
fhe rori for IL Is not pit, vein, nor s'futun'
there are no drifts levels, water-puippins' shar' "
tImbering. IL is mountain Ut god quartz az" WV
vhoe mountain Is shoycllcd into tho stanip-fhi, I
ne II comes so rapidly that $50 STAMPS cannot 20 inc
work which tho hill viii give them fOr ei'''
,a,t of the wear the stamps are driven by "aler
mower which is plentiful In a region having al annua'
rainfall OF seven feet with rlIs and cascades III oc
lecable frequency The progress of tie ore from It's
native bed to bullion Is conducted by specino ga''S'
thus reducing Its cost below one dollar per TON "nno
n &c worth over twenty. There Is fair aino1nt of
prospecting from steam launches ana san anu io"-
boats as the water the only highway yet Ia AasAa
Nele fifty thousand Of ambitious toiier7 ID INC
Empire City TO start for Alaska with their "No'' W
either the Northern Union Pacific Railroad ana Keep
then eyes anG es Spd peac "a mere and make fortunes
rtanf1 find
faents and energies create wealth for thenheVeS
a aIone or anywhere along the lines But the corner
an OF thls vrosIeIty would he their taking their
homes with them, thing when Can III ~ ~,
BY every man If he w rned IN TOO ,uS aS nv OF the Pioneer
settlers of our country into drunkars Diieahus, ucI
"n,idtv and availce: they must carry their dignity
putty and hoIe with them If they would De sueces7'
Immigrants. ., =,
process Of recyiag thousand chrsasn ndus ss
indians from Metakatia In British C 8aJn nancan
during an administration Of twenty-six years, VINO
now mo Of tSe DomInion and de tuastlc tyranny
OF tho Anglican church. TO seek religious uDer'y s
equal rights s 10 a Our Sest BY an Indian
builder, leave Meakatla as the aovancc uV'son "
s teg fun M Gi rss tho sn poa hS
to Al 600. Congress should give them lands IN sey
era aa cae s Every such increase pOpu
iation is for the benefit Of the whole country
GLACIER in Glacier Bay This glacier is about sixty
miles long and five miles from the bay II Is about
,wenty-dvo miles vide In its course II Is FED by nine
principal and lesser glaciers This accumulated
pss 10 ice moves by an lnex oable law through gate
Of mountains only two miles wide piling and lammlng
seif M into turfets pnnaces from three hundred
10 tbousand feet high grinding tho mountains III
thew have yielded sand beach Of beauty ana sno3s o
ness THO near mountains are from 2ooo 70 4'o 80
Net high: Mount Grilon. ten miles away, Is lo,ooO
feet and Mount Farweather distant twenty ve miles
ia 1000 Al It's projection into the sea the glacier
travels al the rate Of forty feet day. avaianchihg
icecrgs into the bay with the SOUNDS Of thunder ano
earthquake These retain the splendd olue tints Q,
tho uarent glacier when floating around US In great
masses, some Of them four hundred feot square aho
water The fall Of these icebergs rocks our boat ike
eforr, and we count twenty-sx OF them at one time
mt the steamer fraiessy lies to within elk hundred
feet of the place of mctamorphosts from glacier 20
tceberg her soundings with her longest line showing
M bottom at 1O5 fathOms When the Iceberg Is hrst
eane1 from the breast the glacier IL punges almost
t ~ spht In the sea- then rises to Its full height as